new purchase

I will measure them and post them asap
again thanks for all your input and advise
regards
murray

[Dave]

I'm still a little curious about the dual set of bolt holes. Do you have some drills that you can use to size the holes? Just put the smooth, chuck end of the drill into the hole and see what size fits best. The empty holes look bigger to me than the ones that are occupied by bolts.

[Bob Gardner]

Hi Murray,

I think that's the best thing to do. It is certainly a handsome prop. I think Dave has instructions on how to make a bracket for it on his website somewhere.

With kind regards,

Bob

Bob
thank you for all your input and advise you're right im not going to risk any damage to the hub in a search of data that probally is'nt there i think i am just going to hang it in my house and enjoy it. if it had been on an aces plane or never flew at all its still a beautiful reminder of our past
thanks again
murray

[Bob Gardner]

Murray,

An afterthought or two.

Firstly on the value of your prop. I think it's worth more than $500. I think it would make a little more if sold on eBay and if sold in a specialist aviation auction or in an antique shop it could well be offered at more than $1000. If you could identify the prop it would increase its value. Try looking at the sides of the hub against the light in case someone has sanded the hub at some time and almost erased the data.

Secondly, why somone would rebore the hub is a mystery. I guess it might have happened when the prop was of little or no value such as in the 1920's when thousands of these props were sold off as army surplus. It might also have been done in the factory where it was made, as an experiment to try a different method of boring or for some instructional reason. If so it was never intended that it should fly and this might explain why no data is stamped on the hub. But I'm clutching at straws!

With kind regards,

Bob

[Bob Gardner]

Murray,

These plates do get firmly stuck on to hubs. The process of tightening the bolts and leaving them like that for half a century can make them difficult to move. If any of the original bolt holes are half covered by the plate you might be able to drift them off by putting a rod or long screwdriver through the hub and tapping the plate.

I have seen several props where someone has introduced a screwdriver or chisel from the side under the plate and prized it off. This leaves very noticeable marks on the hub which disfigure it.

It is unlikely that that there is any data under the plates so you might think it better to leave them on rather than disfigure the prop.

Good luck!

Bob

i will have to check i think i have a caliper somewhere
i cant seem to get the hub plates off do you think it is pressed on and if you think yes should i bring it to a machine shop and get it pressed off
regards
murray

[Dave]

Are the bolt holes the same diameter? Someone could have overdrilled one set of holes, then the hub reattached by drilling parallel holes of the correct size, as Bob suggests.

[Bob Gardner]

Murray,

I can only think of two reasons why your prop has two sets of holes, neither of which seems particularly convincing. The first is that after WW1 the prop was used on a different engine and a new set of holes were bored. I have seen this on low powered pre-WW1 props but it doesn't seem very sensible for a prop from a large and powerful engine.

Secondly, the hub plates and the prop were united for display purposes on someone's wall.

There must be a better reason but I can't think of one!

With kind regards,

Bob

hi bob And dave
i tried to remove the hub this morning, i was able to get all the bolts off and the long i guess you would call them bolts out and just as dave thought they are drilled thru so my prop has 16 holes i wasnt able to get the plates off yet. do you think they are pressed on and should i bring it to a machine shop to press it off? any ideas why this prop has 16 holes. they seem symetrically place on the hub equal distanced apart from each other. hope you have some insight
regards
murray

Bob thanks for your input in my mystery
like dave suggested i am going to carefully attempt to remove the hub today i will post what i find underneath. wish me luck
murray

[Dave]

It could be almost any nationality, from what I can tell. Many U.S. propellers did have numbered blades. The British props were usually so well identified that I guess I would consider this unusual in that regard if it were manufactured there.

[Bob Gardner]

Hi Murray and Dave,

I keep looking at these photographs and wondering if it might be of British design. I don't mean to state that it is, merely to raise the possibility.

Was it American practice to number the blades 1 and 2? I have seen this on British props.

With kind regards,

Bob

thanks
like i said tomorrow im going to attempt to remove the hub
its becoming a mission to get all the info i can on this prop
i'll send you pictures of what i find
thanks again
murray

[Dave]

Any alteration to it will reduce its value, but it's a nice looking propeller and looks otherwise to be in original condition, so I'd say $500 was probably a good buy. Don't try to "restore" it.

When you do look at the hub, check the hub dimensions against this chart to see if you can see what engine it might have been designed for.